PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Writers have a new place to go for a cultural escape.
The Mark & Emily Turner Library Board of Trustees purchased the Griffiths family homestead in Presque Isle last year and made it into an arts and culture space where writers and artists immerse themselves in their crafts. After three successful literary events this summer, the group is ready to expand offerings to include writer retreats.
The cultural isolation forced on people during the COVID-19 pandemic left the population in Aroostook and beyond starving for community, Library Director Sonja Eyler said. She and the trustees want the Griffiths home to be a sanctuary where creative people can re-establish those connections in a peaceful Aroostook County atmosphere.
The Aroostook project was fueled in part by the cultural atmosphere of coastal Maine, where artists, writers and actors tend to congregate in their quests for inspiration.
“We are a people hungry for people to see our artists and our culture here,” Eyler said Thursday. “We are rural and remote, and what we offer is much like island living.”
In fact, the cultural center in Presque Isle is modeled after Sol’s Cliff House in Bar Harbor, a similar vintage home that hosts writing retreats, according to trustee Lois Brewer.
The three events this summer were a tour with tea in June, followed by a journaling workshop and a local author visit in July.
Southern Maine authors Laurie Apgar Chandler, the first woman to solo through-paddle New England’s 740-mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail, and Claire Ackroyd, a garden designer and first-time novelist, will visit in September.
Authors and artists who have visited the library have found friendly people and a calm way of life.
“The idea just bubbled up out of conversation,” Brewer said. “We’re looking at it as a way for the trustees to give back to the community. We hope this grows and blossoms.”
The home has a kitchen, dining room, two living areas and four bedrooms. The group is considering hosting writers or artists in residence in the future, and perhaps overnight workshops.
Located beside the library, the 1890-built house was purchased by Dr. Eugene Benjamin Griffiths in 1932. He and his wife, Kathryn, raised their sons, David and Steven, in the home, and in 1969 Steven and his wife, Lois, moved back there to raise their three children.
Steven Griffiths, a longtime educator, died in 2015, and Lois moved to Portland last year. Retired Judge David Griffiths and his wife, Roberta, of Presque Isle said it was only fitting for the home to become an extension of the library that the whole family loved and frequented.
The center will allow the library to grow beyond its current structure, giving writers a place of respite to work and share their craft. It will also put Presque Isle more firmly on the map of literary places to go, Eyler said.
“You will find tradition when you come here. You’ll feel like it’s your great-grandmother’s house,” she said. “I don’t think you can get that in too many places anymore.”
The trustees have purchased furnishings and decorated the house with art from the library’s collection, featuring many artists who live in The County or who have connections to the area.
Outside there is a garden with flowers, shrubs and a small path through neighboring trees. The June tea event featured music and refreshments in the garden, which turned out to be a hit among those attending.
“The word we heard most was ‘cozy,’” Shaw said. “It’s a place apart. That’s one of the positive things about being here.”
The Board of Trustees purchased the home and has covered all associated costs, with no city or taxpayer money involved, Eyler said.
Events have been paid for by ticket sales, but the group also seeks donations and may do some fundraisers. Later they envision offering sponsorships for various rooms.
The group welcomes ideas and volunteers. They intend to join Presque Isle’s First Friday Art Walk, and collaborate with Neighborhood Books. They are exploring a holiday idea with the Presque Isle Historical Society’s Kim Smith.
“We’re just getting started,” Eyler said. “We want [writers] to feel important and welcomed, and not forget their way back.”
For information or to volunteer, contact Brewer at [email protected] or Shaw at [email protected].